Franks paid Vikings over 44 tons of silver as tribute

Throughout the 9th century, Vikings raided Frankish lands, besieged Paris twice, and plundered at least 120 settlements on the Seine. As early as 845, Ragnar Lodbrok extorted 3.5 tons of silver from Charlemagne. In total, the Franks gave Scandinavians over 44 tons of silver to buy themselves moments of peace.